Thursday, August 26, 2010

I just recently discovered a beverage that knocked my socks off for flavor, substance and nutritional value.

It just so happens that while preparing my breakfast early one morning, I was watching the news when a commercial came on that caught my attention.

I had tried their products in the past since on occasion I would suffer a bit with lactose intolerance. But it was difficult for me to swallow Soy milk....not really crazy about the flavor. It kind of left an after taste of .....well...a chalky, coating in my mouth, but then I can't really describe it, but let's just say "blech"....wondering, how can people drink this stuff? (my son had to drink soy milk when he was a baby, then outgrew the allergy to milk by his 6th birthday.) All I can say, poor boy...had no idea what he endured drinking this stuff.

Then I managed to do fine on Non Fat milk products, but still had a bit of intolerance to it some days also....but for the most part this worked for me, and it gave me the refreshing taste of ice cold milk with my weight watchers oatmeal chocolate chip cookie....okay, the chocolate isn't part of the recipe, but hey..... what's a cookie without chocolate?

Perhaps this was the new dietary beverage for me?

Applause...Applause!

I am sure most of us have seen the SILK commercials for alternative milk products, and primarily for their Soy milk drinks. These of course come in several flavors, like chocolate, vanilla, original and very vanilla. However, there are some that are allergic to Soy as well, so these get removed from the diet also.

What is a person to do that wants a bit of milk with their coffee or a splash on their cereal?The answer is here.....now they have introduced Almond Milk Drinks. And all I have to say is OMG. This drink is absolutely delish....rich and creamy texture, with a subtle hint of sweetness. Absolutely refreshing when served over ice. It almost tastes like I am drinking melted ice cream, but without the calories....and I am left with a clean after taste. Only 60 calories per 8 ounce glass with only 7 grams of sugar....that is 20 calories less than non fat milk....wow! It is lactose free and comes in other flavors as well....Vanilla and Chocolate.

It provides as much calcium and Vitamin D as regular milk, only without the saturated fat and lactose of milk, making this excellent for weight loss and lowering cholesterol.

It is also rich in antioxidants and they claim it to be gluten free!

Even though you may be tempted to try the vanilla or chocolate, there is a slight caveat on these two flavors. Don't assume the labels are the same across the board in terms of calories.

Vanilla ~ sugar doubles from original and calories increase to 90 per 8 ounce glass.Chocolate ~ sugar triples from original and calories increase to 120 per 8 ounce glass.

You can check nutritional labels at their website, just click on the almond milk link in the above paragraph and click on the various tabs at the top for all the information you'll need.

So if you don't have glucose issues or aren't needing to watch your weight, then these can be quite enjoyable. However, let me assure you the original Almond Milk is all I need for a luscious treat, or for using on my cereal in the morning. It is my new guilt free pleasure!

Plus it only runs about $2.60 per half gallon carton, and once opened, needs to be consumed within a weeks time.

The Alternative

Apparently another company produced the original which I had no idea about, not having seen their commercials or anything, but discovered them in the dairy case when I went to buy my first carton of Silk Almond Milk.

It is manufactured by Blue Diamond called Almond Breeze Almond Milk. This is only 40 calories per 8 ounce glass when you purchase the unsweetened Vanilla.....decisions, decisions....but a caveat, always keeping an eye on ingredient labels, it is a Soy based product in all the flavors and percentage of fat is the same in the original flavor as the Silk products, but unlike the Silk Almond Milk, it increases in fat calories with change in flavors. However, when you click on the link above and then on nutritional information, at the bottom of the label, there is another link to click on for the soy free version.... so this is good news for those that still don't want soy and get even fewer calories than they do with a touch of sweetness, in the unsweetened vanilla.

In every other respect, the labels are just about identical to Silk products including calories, with just the slight variations I listed.

It also runs about the same price, so depending on your desires you have several to choose from....indeed. Just a side note: It is of course made from nuts, so if allergic, this would not be a wise choice.

I think next time I make pancakes or some other recipe requiring milk, I am going to substitute almond milk and see how it makes a recipe taste....it will certainly be interesting to find out!

Personally, I don't know if I would enjoy this as much without a touch of sweet....and not sure I care to find out. I have found my pleasure with this delightful drink and hope you'll give it a try too.....Yum!

4 comments:

I LOVE the Almond Breeze almond milk! It has been my go-to now for quite a while. I tried the Silk Pure Almond and didn't care for it as much, but good luck with your new alternative "milk" choices. I can't do soy milk at all-it actually GIVES me hot flashes!!

I used to use Rice Dream in my cereal for years, but several months ago switched to almond milk. First tried Almond Dream, which has added "natural almond flavor with other natural flavors", so it has more of an almond extract taste to it that I don't personally care for.

I mostly buy Pacific Natural Foods Organic Almond Original at Trader Joe's ($1.69/qt. - not refrigerated), but when I've run out of it and can't get to Trader Joe's (it's a bit of a drive), I've bought Silk Almond Milk a couple of times and really like that one, too! I think it's creamier than the Pacific brand, but maybe it's the difference in some of the ingredients. Since the organic isn't much more, and it comes in the smaller quart size, I prefer the Pacific brand for those reasons.

Otherwise, one can actually make their own almond milk, but have never given it a try!

Trader Joes seems to offer a lot of great products in terms of more natural foods. Certain crackers are a favorite of mine and surprisingly we could get them at walmart for a while, but no more. Another vote for Silk Almond Milk then. Glad to know you enjoy it also...I think it is very refreshing especially over ice.

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